Dispensing closure



Nov. 8, 1966 E. G. AKERS 3,283,967

DISPENSING CLOSURE Filed Jan. 11, 1965 3 K /3Z 36 I 34 mm- E I T2 INVENTOR.

EDWARD G. AKEES BY Eon/420 D. OER/AM ATTOEA/EY United States Patent Ofiice 3,233,967 Fatentecl Nov. 8, 1966 3,283,967 DISPENSING CL OSURE Edward G. Alters, Downey, Calif, assignor to Polytop Corporation, Slatersville, 12.1., a corporation of Massachnsetts Filed Jan. 11, 1965, Ser. No. 424,556 1 Claim. (Cl. 222-536) This invention relates to new and improved dispensing closures, and more specifically to dispensing closures having a means for locking a spout member in an open position.

The term dispensing closures has been developed as designating closure structures in which -a spout is rotatably mounted upon a cap or similar structure in such a manner that the spout is capable of being rotated between open and closed positions. A large number of such structures are known and a smaller number of such structures are being commercially manufactured and used at the present time. These various different closures differ from one another in the manner in which they are constructed. Frequently a material difference between the various different dispensing closures lies in the manner in which the spout part is either attached to, supported on or assembled with respect to what is referred to herein as a cap part.

Known different types of dispensing closures as are indicated briefly in the preceding discussion are not considered to have provided the solution to a problem relating to the use of these closures in the application of fluids in conjunction with the problem of forming and maintaining a seal in these closures against leakage between a spout and a cap structure. This problem is particularly pertinent in the use of dispensing closures so as to apply various materials such as hair dye to the scalp, so as to apply an adhesive over a wide area on a surface or the like. In such applications it is desired to lock the spout part in an open position so that it will not accidentally be moved to .a closed position.

An object of the present invention is to provide new and improved dispensing closures which include as an integral part of such closures means whereby the spouts in such units may be locked in open position so that they will not readily be moved to a closed position. A further object of this invention is to provide in dispensing closures such locking means at an exceedingly nominal cost insufiicient to materially alter the cost of such closures. A still further object of this invention is to provide in dispensing closures of the type indicated simple, effective, easy to use locking means of the type herein indicated.

These and various other objects of this invention as well as many other specific advantages of it will be more fully apparent from a detailed consideration of the remainder of this specification, the appended claim and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a dispensing closure embodying a locking structure or means as herein indicated:

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 2-2 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken at line 33 of FIG. 1.

From a careful consideration of this specification and various prior art patents pertaining to different types of dispensing closures those skilled in this art can realize that the particular dispensing closure shown in the drawing is of a type illustrated in the Wilson et al. Patent No. 2,793,795. They will also realize that the basic features of this invention can be embodying within other differently appearing and differently constructed dispensing closures with a minimum of difiicult. For these reasons the accompanying drawing is not to be taken as limiting the present invention. 1

As an aid to understanding this invention it can be stated in essentially summary form that it concerns dispensing closures which include a cap part and a spout, the spout being rotatably mounted on the cap so as to be capable of being rotated between and open and closed positions, a wall means located on the cap part adjacent to the spout part, and a protuberance located on the spout part so as to be capable of engaging the wall means during the rotation of the spout from a closed position to an open position so as to temporarily deform the wall, allowing the protuberance to be held into place between a portion of the cap pant and the wall by the wall returning to its initial configuration when the spout is in an open position. must be formed of a resilient, temporarily deformable material; preferably this wall is formed integrally to the cap part so as to achieve economy in manufacture.

The actual details of this invention are best more fully described by referring directly to the accompanying drawing. In this drawing there is shown a closure 10 which, as indicated in the preceding is constructed generally as indicated in the Wilson et al. Patent No. 2,793,795. The entire disclosure of the patent is incorporated herein by reference. This closure 10 includes a cap past 12 and :a spout 14.

The cap part 12 illustrated includes a generally cylindrical skirt 16 provided with internal threads or similar means 18 for attaching the cap part to a container (not shown). One end of this skirt 16 is closed by means of a top 20. This top 20 has a depressed cavity 22 formed therein; an opening 24 is located so as to lead from the bottom of this cavity 22 to the top 26. Preferably a sealing ring 26 :as described in the co pending application for US. Letters Patent, Serial No. 439,515 filed Mar. 2, 1965 entitled Sealing Structures is located in the base of the cavity 22 around the opening 24. A container sealing ring 24 may be located within the skirt 16 so as to be dependent from the top 20.

In the closure 10 the cap part 12 includes a continuous U-shaiped wall structure 30. This Wall structure 30 includes roughly parallel side Walls 32, a back wall 34 and connecting wall-like sections 36. Each of these wall-like sections 36 has tapered entrance walls 3 8 leading to a cylindrical bearing opening 40 constructed in such a manner that its entrance is smaller than its diameter. These openings 40 are aligned with one another.

The sections 36 are designed so that shafts or trunnions 42 extending from a cylindrical base 44 forming a part of the spout 14 may be inserted into the openings 40 and held within them so that this base 44 bears against the sealing ring 26 in order to form a seal therewith at all times. The spout 14 also includes a protruding extremity or spout 46 extending from the base 44. A passage 48 extends through the spout or extremity 46 and the base 44.

Normally the spout 14 is maintained in a closed position as shown in the various figures of the drawing in which the extremity or spout 46 lies between the side walls 32 roughly parallel to the top 20. The spout 14 is however capable of being rotated to an open position as shown by phantom lines as indicated in FIG. 2 of the drawing in which the spout extends substantially at right angles to the top 20. In this open position the passage 48 is in communication with the opening 24 in the top 20. It will be noted that during the rotation of the spout 14 between such open and closed positions the pressures on the sealing ring 26 remain substantially unchanged and that the sealing ring is not significantly disturbed or distended or otherwise deformed in any manner. This is In order to achieve these results the wall 3 considered to be important in efiectively eliminating any possibility of leakage between the spout 14 and the cap part 12.

In the closure there is provided on the base 44 as an integral part of the spout 12 a protuberance 50 which is located so that as the spout 14 is moved from an open to a closed position as described it engages the back wall 34. If this back wall 34 was not of a resilient character further rotation of the spout 14 to an open position would be prevented by this protuberance 50 engaging the wall 34. However in the closure 10 the entire cap part 12 is preferably formed of a deformable, resilient material which after being deformed is capable of returning to substantially its initial configuration. Among such materials are common polyolefins including low density, branched chain polyethylene, high density, essentially linear polyethylene and various polypropylenes such as common polypropylene. The back wall 34 illustarted is sufiiciently thin and is sufficiently unsupported so that such deformation is possible.

As a result of this as a spout 14 is moved to an open position from a closed position the protuberance will tend to deform or distend this back wall 34 so as to permit the spout 14 to be moved to the open position. When the spout 14 is in the open position the protuberance 50 will be located as shown by dotted lines in FIG. 2 of the drawing so as to fit within a small cavity or recess 52 generally between the back wall 34 and the top 20. When the protuberance 50 is in this position the back wall 34, will because of the pressure upon it being relieved, return to its initial configuration, locking the spout 14 in an open position. From such an open position the spout 14 may always be easily returned to a closed position by applying pressure to it, again deforming temporarily the back wall It will be realized that any deformable wall or Walllike structure or means can be employed in place of the back wall 34 in order to achieve the results achieved with this invention. Those skilled in the art will realize that a number of changes may be made in the precise structure shown through the use or exercise of routine engineering skill, and that various other dispensing closures may be modified so as to use the principals of this invention through the exercise of such skill. For this reason the invention described herein is to be considered as being limited solely by the appended claim forming a part of this disclosure.

I claim:

In a dispensing closure having a cap part and a spout part said spout part having a cylindrical base, a spout extending from said base and a passage extending through said base and said spout,

said cap part having a top, said top having a depression located therein, an opening located so as to lead through said top from the bottom of said depression, sealing means for forming a seal against said base located within said depression around said opening, and means for rotatably holding said spout part, said means engaging portions of said spout part so as to rotatably mount said spout part,

in such a manner that said spout part is capable of being rotated between an open position in which said passage is aligned with said opening to a closed position in which said passage is spaced from said opening, said base engaging said sealing means during such rotation between said open and closed positions,

the improvement which comprises;

a deformable, upstanding resilient wall extending from said top and spaced from the center of the base a distance greater than the radius of the base and said wall being spaced from said opening and said sealing means a protuberance located on said base adjacent to said wall in a position so that as said spout is rotated from said open position to said closed position it engages said wall, temporarily deforming said wall so as to allow said protuberance to pass from adjacent to one portion of said wall to adjacent another portion of said wall said wall and said protuberance being located so that the deformation of said wall does not cause the pressure on said sealing means exerted by said base of said spout part to change as said spout part is rotated between said open and closed positions in order to avoid the possibility of leakage between said base of said spout part and said sealing means.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS ROBERT B. REEVES, Primary Examiner. 

